Buckwheat problem gives Putin food for thought

A woman picks a pack of buckwheat groats at a food market in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk November 25, 2014. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - As if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not have enough to worry about with Western sanctions, falling oil prices and a collapsing currency, there is also now the price of buckwheat.

Rumours that snow has ruined the harvest in the Altai region that grows the fruit seed have caused panic-buying in some areas and pushed up the price of one of Russia's most popular foods.